Kiana and Mei stopped as the air suddenly grew warmer. Even amid the rainfall from the storm, the heat washed across the roof, the girls' gazes turning towards the orb of flames that had suddenly appeared where Soleil had fallen.
"What the…?!" Kiana gasped, a worried flash crossing her face. "No, he can't be?!"
"Ahahaha, well now, what development is this?" Mei chuckled as the dome of flames expanded. "Will this fight be changing? Who's favor will it fall towards?"
"Sure as hell not yours!" Soleil's voice boomed, and the dome of flames blew away, blowing aside the rain surrounding Soleil as he was yet again standing. As his eyes opened, his right eye flashed, turning a bright, flaming red with a white pupil ringed by a spiked halo-shape amid the iris. Soleil raised his right hand, flexing it and finding those mixed flames forming around his arm. "Huh, bastard didn't dupe me after all. Hehe… hardly something I'd call a real Herrscher. But whatever, I'll take it!"
"So, you kept your will even after a partial awakening?" Mei raised her wing as Kiana tried to get an opening to kick her, being bat aside and sent retreating near Soleil. "Tch… though perhaps that's fortunate! I'd rather defeat you as you were than face someone else."
"Rei-senpai, is it really you?" Kiana looked ready to act as Soleil turned to her, and the nod he gave was a reassurance along with the gentler smile it came with.
"Don't worry, I won't get pulled in that easily. Guess you could say me and my Herrscher are in a weird situation," Soleil then looked at the remnants of his bat, his mouth cracking to a bemused grimace. "But not gonna be that useful with half a damn bat…"
"And I'm almost out of ammo…" Kiana sighed as she readied her gun again.
"What, you can't be that useless without weapons? Especially not you, Flames! How could you call yourself a Herrscher if that's a limitation?!" Mei swiped her electric sword at the two, sending a wave of lightning at them that split the rooftop.
Soleil responded in kind with a blast of flames even larger than what he'd used before, actually forcing Mei to dodge. As she did, parts of her wing began to falter away, the Herrscher growling as the flecks of energy vanished.
"Dammit, is it because of the damage I took earlier?! Hagh… no matter, once I finish you two, it'll be for nothing!" Mei charged up electricity, letting it loose as a massive blast tearing across the roof. Soleil met it head on, flames meeting lightning in a clash that almost blew away the storm surrounding the school building.
"Would be real if someone could pull a new weapon out of thin air!" Kiana raised an arm to shield herself from the whipping air and heat, Soleil letting out a hiss as he held the clash of elements.
"Well it isn't like we could contact anyone for a supply drop or anything!" As Soleil put a hand to his arm to steady his hold, he thought he heard something between the sounds of rainfall and thunder. A kind of howl, almost like an engine. "Something's above us!"
The clash of fire and lightning ceased as even Mei noticed it, something piercing through the storm clouds and crashing down onto the roof. A black and gray capsule, which quickly hissed as the latches on it's front door released.
"A supply pod?!" Soleil was baffled as the pod blinked, and as the pod's light blinked at increasing speed, right until it split into a projector, forming a holographic image. An image of a rather angry, young looking girl with red hair and glasses. Soleil was quick to flinch. "Tesla?!"
"Wait, that's one of the professors who works in the Anti-Entropy division?!" Kiana gasped. "Just who the heck are you Rei-senpai?!"
"Oi, stupid brat, you should be the one seeing this, right?!" Soleil flinched as the projection of Tesla spoke. He was almost glad to know this was likely a recording. "I don't know what kind of situation you're getting this pod in, but I know for a fact it's gotta be a mess! I don't care if this was supposed to be some chill exchange trip, you know better than to leave unprepared! A bat! All you took was a stupid bat I made for kicks! How dumb are you?!"
"I figured she'd be mad I stole it at all…" Soleil's eyes twitched, daring to think he was perhaps safe.
"Also, don't steal my stuff! You owe me whenever you get out of whatever mess you're in this time!"
"There it is…"
"But, you can't pay me back if you end up dead. So, be glad I decided to pack this pod with enough supplies to get you out of that city! Plus some extras in case you find some friends on the way!" Soleil mentally counted down for the "but." "But, next time, don't make us scramble because of an emergency! Message us before your comms cut out, idiot!"
"I can't tell if she dislikes you or likes you," Kiana muttered, Soleil putting a hand to his head.
"Tesla's just like that."
"Are you done?!" Mei swiped her sword through the air, stepping forward into a charge. "Because I'm tired of interruptions!"
"Let's hope Tesla packed in some good picks!" Soleil dashed for the supply pod as it's front shot open, reaching for the first thing he saw pop out of its storage hold.
"Too slow!" Mei swung as she came down on Soleil, the air busting with lightning and flames once more. Mei smirked, but it fell as the air cleared and she found the edge of her blade stopped, a red glow visible amid the dust and rain before it turned into a flame trailed slash that cast it aside.
In Soleil's right hand was a fresh new sword. A pitch-black longsword, highlighted by red along the center of its sleek, single edged blade, the base sparking with a thrumming core that sparked with flames at exhaust ports. Soleil's grip was on a hilt that wrapped over his hand, yet the entire weapon seemed as if it was hiding something. A quick flick of Soleil's wrist caused the blade to thrum, flames trailing it as he slashed at Mei, cutting right through her lightning sword and sending the Herrscher skidding away from the following wave of energy.
Before Mei could get in a proper response, she threw up a barrier as soon as the sound of gunshots cracked through the air, the barrier just holding as it was slammed by electrically charged shots. And as she tried to gather what, something else cam crashing into the barrier, a large hammer of energy swung by Kiana.
"W-What the?! What are those?!" Mei snarled as she skid back, Kiana twirling a pair of blue and silver handguns on her palms, the weapons sparking with blue lightning as the core and bladed underbarrel glowed a soft blue.
"Pantheon Series weapons!" Kiana chuckled as she aimed the gun in her right hand at Mei. "Just what we need to even the field with a Herrscher like you!"
"Looks like the heroes get their second wind," Soleil swiped his new sword along the ground, tearing a molten scar across the stonework as he lifted the blade to shoulder level. His right eye gleaming as red light started to trail from his iris. "How much you got left in ya, Herrscher of Thunder? Because we're raring to go now!"
"Tch… what will it take to kill the two of you?!" Mei roared as she reformed her sword, lunging at the two before her as thunder split the air again.
A final flash of lightning to signal the final act of their battle.